Jeff Tarpinian
Personal information
Born: (1987-10-16) October 16, 1987
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Omaha (NE) Millard North
College:Iowa
Position:Linebacker
Undrafted:2011
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:44
Sacks:0.5
Player stats at NFL.com

Jeff Tarpinian (born October 16, 1987) is an Armenian-American former football linebacker. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Iowa.

Early years

He was named 2005 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year.[1] He was selected to the first-team all-state and all-conference in his senior season.[1] He was an honorable mention all-state in both his sophomore and junior season along with the second-team all-conference as a junior season.[1]

College career

He was named to the Academic all-Big Ten in both his Freshman and Sophomore seasons.[1]

Professional career

New England Patriots

Tarpinian went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and signed with the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent in July,[2] soon after the end of the 2011 NFL lockout.[3]

After being elevated to the active roster on September 22,[4] he made the first defensive start of his NFL career on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 against the division rival New York Jets. He recorded 3 solo tackles and an assist in the team's 37–16 victory.[5]

On November 24, 2011, the Patriots placed Tarpinian on injured reserve, with the listed reason as a "head injury".[6] It would be revealed years later that injury was in fact a cerebral cavernous malformation that required brain surgery.[7] Tarpinian was able to make a full recovery and return to the Patriots for the 2012 season, playing mainly on special teams.

Houston Texans

After spending time on the Carolina Panther's practice squad, the Houston Texans signed Tarpinian to their active roster in October 2013. He would go on to play in 8 games that season, making 3 starts.[8]

Tarpinian would return to the Texans in 2014, reuniting him with former Patriots Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien, who was hired that offseason as head coach.[9] His role on the team that season was mainly on special teams.

Tarpinian was released by the Texans in September 2015 before their final preseason game and became an unrestricted free agent.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Iowa Hawkeyes Profile". Hawkeyesports.com.
  2. ↑ "Patriots sign two draft picks and 12 rookie free agents". Patriots.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ "2011 NFL Lockout Ends". Sportsmediawatch.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Patriots sign LB Jeff Tarpinian to the 53-man roster". Patriots.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". Nfl.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Pats Place Tarpinian on Injured Reserve". Abc6.com. November 24, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Texans LB Tarpinian kept brain surgery secret for 2 years". Foxsports.com. December 27, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ "2013 Houston Texans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Texans hire Bill O'Brien as head coach". Houstontexans.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Tarpinian released by Texans on deadline to cut roster to 75". Usatoday.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
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